


Read Between the Lines

by shonn



Category: Wicked RPF
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Pre-Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22202290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shonn/pseuds/shonn
Summary: Kristin reread the article again, hoping she had missed something, but found nothing new. She wasn't sure what she had been looking for, some sort of explanation or witty remark maybe, but she knew there would be none. Idina always preferred the simple when it came to the things she truly cared about.
Relationships: Kristin Chenoweth/Idina Menzel
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Read Between the Lines

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: The list of Idina's favorite actresses was pulled directly from an interview she did. Yep, uh huh.

Kristin wasn't sure why her assistant had left the magazine for her. It was not normally the type she would read. She suspected most women never read it. Its material consisted mostly of a world women rarely visited, much less lived in, yet there it was, waiting on her table with a note imploring her to look inside. She was going to dismiss the notion when something on the cover caught her notice.

**_AskMen_ profile of Broadway star Idina Menzel:  
Find out what this raven-haired beauty really thinks about defying gravity!**

It was meant as a crude joke, Kristin knew, and she cringed at the implication. 

_Idina probably loved it_ , she thought, which made her smile. She always smiled when she thought of her former co-star. They had not talked recently, at least two weeks, longer since they had seen each other, but she was surprised Idina had not told her about the interview. The normally unflappable actress was uncharacteristically awkward when it came to magazine articles, and she almost always looked to Kristin for reassurance. 

It was comfort the blonde gave willingly. They were, after all, friends.

Kristin found herself humming "For Good" as she settled herself comfortably on the leather couch in her dressing room. She had a few minutes before she would be needed on the set to shoot her final scenes for the night, and she was exhausted. Still holding the magazine in her hands, she began flipping through the pages, idly looking for the face she would recognize anywhere. It was the smile which stopped her search. The photo was a close-up, Idina's green eyes sparkling vibrantly against her pale skin and dark hair. Her lips were redder than Kristin remembered but were twisted in a smirk Kristin had memorized.

She felt her chest constrict, and she was hit by a wave of nostalgia for her _Wicked_ days, for those times when she and Idina would sneak out of rehearsals to hide in the park and share a pretzel or when they would finish a performance and hug so tightly they could not breathe.

 _Happy days_ , she thought, and then she laughed. Idina would laugh at her, too, if she were there. Kristin sighed before turning her attention back to the magazine. There was no use in wishing for what she could not have.

The article had the necessary information – date of birth, height, weight, likes, dislikes – along with a list of favorites. Kristin skimmed it; she knew all of the details of Idina’s answers, had learned the other woman inside and out years ago. She was reaching the end of the inventory when her name stopped her. 

**Favorite actresses: Renee Zellweger, Julia Roberts, Kristin Chenoweth, and Julie Andrews.**

Wow. 

Kristin reread the article again, hoping she had missed something, but found nothing new. She wasn't sure what she had been looking for, some sort of explanation or witty remark maybe, but she knew there would be none. Idina always preferred the simple when it came to the things she truly cared about.

 _Leave it to Dee to knock me from my feet_ , she thought. _The girl always knows just what to say or do to surprise me._

And it was a surprise. Although both actresses had a lot of admiration for each other, they had never really discussed their feelings on the matter. It had always been a tacit agreement between them. They could talk about anything else, but their friendship was based on something more than work-related topics, which meant other than the random compliment from time-to-time, they rarely broached the subject of acting. Each had her own style, and each blended with the other so well, discussion was never needed.

Kristin felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped at them quickly, aware her make-up would be ruined by her efforts to stem her childishness. It was a silly magazine article, likely only to be read by teenage boys and perverted old men, yet Kristin was certain she had never received higher praise in her life.

Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number, listening to the rings as she smiled at the magazine picture again. Although she had no idea what she would say, she knew it didn't matter.

"Hello," a sleepy voice answered, and Kristin cringed as she glanced at the clock.

"Hey, hon," she said sweetly, hoping to forestall any complaints.

"Kris." Idina almost sighed her name, and Kristin smiled at the pout she knew Idina was sporting.

"I woke you. I'm sorry," she said, though she knew she didn't sound all that sorry. "I forgot the time difference."

"You only forget the time difference when you're upset or excited," Idina said, adding tenderly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. A little homesick but other than that..." She didn't know how to explain that she just needed to hear the other woman's voice, to feel connected to her through more than a magazine article.

"Come home," Idina replied immediately, and Kristin heard her sitting up in bed, could almost make out the sound of the lamp being turned on.

"You miss me, Menzel?" Kristin asked, trying to control the melancholy seeping into her bones. 

"Yes," Idina answered, more honest than she would have been if she had been fully awake. "But only because you know where the good restaurants are," she added quickly, teasingly. 

Kristin laughed, the simple remark making her feel better. "If I come home, will you take me to dinner?"

"If you come home, I'll even buy you dessert."

"Bribery, just one of the many things you do well."

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." 

"That you do," Kristin said, picking up the magazine to examine the date. "I read the interview in _AskMen Magazine_. That's a great picture of you."

"Too much lipstick," Idina answered, and Kristin knew the other woman was blushing. "You read the whole thing?"

"Yeah." 

There was silence for a moment, but then Idina's voice, hushed and strong, "I meant it, Kris. I've never told you, but I've always meant it."

Kristin closed her eyes against the threatening tears, her smile watery but delighted. She had always suspected Idina could read her mind.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I...thank you."

"There are a lot of things we've never said to each other. Maybe we should start."

Idina sounded shy, almost afraid, but Kristin understood why.

"Maybe we should," she said shakily, her tone scratchy but certain. "Over dinner."

"And dessert," Idina added happily. Kristin laughed.

"Of course." They were both smiling, they both knew it, and Kristin hesitated in fear of breaking the spell. "Dee," she began.

"No, Kris, don't. I know, but I want to hear the words from you in person just as I want to say them to you in person. Alright? For now, let's just make plans to see each other."

There was a knock on her dressing room, a voice announcing she was needed on the set. 

"Okay. I’ve got to go anyway."

"I heard."

"I'll be home in a couple of days."

"You'll call when you know more?"

"Yeah."

"Kris, I really wanted you to know."

"I know."

"It's important."

"I know," Kristin said, her smile returning at how goofy they could be. 

"We're such dorks," Idina proclaimed, once again reading her friend's mind.

"I know," Kristin agreed and they both laughed.

"I'll talk to you later. I'm going back to bed."

"Sweet dreams, Dina."

"I think they will be. Go. Do something important."

"Good night," Kristin said and hung up the phone. 

_Do something important_ , she thought. _Well, okay, I will._

And before she left her dressing room, she tore the picture of Idina out of the magazine and taped it to her mirror.


End file.
